MOUSE

• US 20020044133A1
• Filed: 03/22/1999
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, SHUJI, HAYAMA, MASANOBU, KOIKE, TAMOTSU
• Granted Patent: US 6,677,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A mouse for a computer has a small touch panel to realize improved functions. The mouse (40) has a lower case (41) and an upper case (42) that covers an upper part of the lower case. A front part of the upper case has an integrated support. The touch panel is installed on the support, and a key top (43) is fitted to the upper case to fix the touch panel. An instruction is generated according to a finger touching period or the movement of a finger on the touch panel, and the instruction is transmitted to the computer, to thereby realize the improved functions. The touch panel may be divided into sections, and some of the sections may be used as switches, to thereby eliminate click switches from the mouse.

Claims

1. A mouse for a computer, comprising:

movement detecting means for detecting a movement of the mouse;

operation detecting means for detecting an operation on click switches of the mouse;

touch detecting means with a control surface, for detecting a touched state of the control surface; and

transmitting means for transmitting a set of commands prepared from the detected movement, operation, and touched state to the computer.

2. The mouse of claim 1, wherein the touch detecting means has:

time measuring means for measuring a finger touching period on the control surface; and

command generating means for generating one of at least two different commands for the computer depending on the measured finger touching period.

3. The mouse of claim 2, wherein the command generating means recognizes a tapping operation if the measured finger touching period is shorter than a threshold.

4. The mouse of claim 2, wherein the command generating means generates one of at least two different commands for the computer depending on the detected touched state if the measured finger touching period is longer than a threshold.

9. The mouse of any one of claims 1, 5, and 6, wherein:

the touch detecting means is installed on a support that is integral with an upper case that covers an upper rear part of the mouse; and

the periphery of the touch detecting means is fixed to the mouse with a window frame of a key top that covers an upper front part of the mouse.

10. The mouse of claim 9, wherein:

projections and recesses are formed on the upper case and key top, to engage with each other to fix the touch detecting means to the support.

11. The mouse of any one of claims 1, 5, and 6, wherein:

the touch detecting means is installed on a backing plate; and

the periphery of the touch detecting means is fixed to the mouse with a window frame that is formed at a front end of a plate spring that is inserted into an upper case that covers an upper rear part of the mouse.

12. The mouse of claim 11, wherein:

projections and recesses are formed at front ends of the backing plate and window frame, to engage with each other to fix the touch detecting means to the backing plate.

13. The mouse of any one of claims of 9 to 12, wherein:

grooves are formed at regular intervals on the support or backing plate.

14. The mouse of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein:

protrusions are formed at given intervals along at least one side of the window frame.

15. The mouse of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein:

protrusions are formed along opposite sides of the window frame at different intervals.

16. The mouse of any one of claims 1, 5, and 6, wherein:

protrusions are formed at given intervals on the control surface.

17. The mouse of any one of claims 1, 5, and 6, further comprising:

means for calculating a correction coefficient according to data obtained when a predetermined point on the control surface is pushed, the correction coefficient being used to correct the coordinates of a pushed point on the control surface.

5. A mouse for a computer, comprising:

movement detecting means for detecting a movement of the mouse;

touch detecting means with a control surface, for detecting a touched state of the control surface; and

transmitting means for transmitting a set of commands prepared from the detected movement and touched state to the computer.

6. A mouse for a computer, comprising:

movement detecting means for detecting a movement of the mouse;

touch detecting means with a control surface, for detecting a touched state of each of sections defined on the control surface; and

transmitting means for transmitting a set of commands prepared from the detected movement and touched states to the computer.

7. The mouse of claim 6, further comprising:

dividing means for dividing the control surface into the sections; and

storing means for storing data about the sections.

8. The mouse of claim 7, wherein:

the data about the sections indicates, for each of the sections, whether the section functions as a switch or a movement detector